An Unusual Assignment Oneshots
by Ezakiel
Summary: A collection of Oneshots about An Unusual Assignment. The content of future chapters can be suggested by reviews. Rated T for obvious reasons.
1. Baptism of fire

**An Unusual Assignment: Oneshots**

Yeah, you read correctly. I had this idea for quite some time, so I decided to actually do it. I'll submit oneshots about some of the important events of "An Unusual Assignment". The first one will be about Reenas last days of training, just before she came to Pokke. I have not decided what's to come after this, so you may make suggestions. How about Temuras battle with the Fatalis? Nathans last hunt? Or just some random quest? The choice is yours!

On a side note, the character Kemani is actually a real life person. Of course, she has a different name, but the rest is quite similar - except that the real one is not a hunter, of course. She is my german beta reader and a close friend. She asked me to give her a role in my story, so I did my best. Please review and tell me what you think about her.

**Baptism of fire**

The Guild Hall of Kokoto was almost completely silent. The soft twilight of dawn had just started to illuminate it, letting the large variety of trophies seem somewhat alive.

Reena looked around nervously. She had never been afraid of the dark, but standing all alone in a room filled with the heads of monsters which didn't look as dead as they should be made her feel quite uneasy.

She was so focused on staying calm that she didn't notice the person that sneaked up on her from behind. "Good morning!" the woman shouted.

Reena screamed and turned around. In front of her stood a woman in her mid-thirties with chin-long, dark-blonde hair and grayish-blue eyes. She wasn't particularly tall or tough-looking, but Reena knew that she was a very skilled fighter. She wore a beautiful armour that shined bright red even in the dim light of the Guild Hall. It was a Kaiser armour, named after the monster it was crafted of: Teostra, the "emperor of flame". Her weapons were called "Eternal Strife" a sword and shield combination that was said to not have been forged with water but with the blood of Teostra instead, which gave them a very dark colour. In this twilight they looked almost black.

The woman laughed. "You don't have to be so scared. After all, you knew I'd come."

"But that's no reason to sneak up on me like that. I almost had a heart attack."

"Aw, it wasn't that bad. Now get back your breath, we wanna get going." With that said, she turned around and left the building with quick steps.

Reena followed her after a second. Kemani was her instructor for about two months now, and in this relatively short time, had taught her a lot about the life as a hunter. She was a hunter of the fifth rank, only one step away from being able to call herself Ashvelt, and famous for having killed the elder dragon Teostra on her own.

Reena took a look around the village when she stepped out of the Guild Hall. Kokoto was rather small, located at the edge of a region dominated by both deep forests and wide open hills. Since it didn't need much supplies to survive due to the little number of inhabitants, there weren't many hunters to provide them. However, beyond its borders dwelled a large variety of monsters, so many hunters came here to hunt them. The Guild eventually decided to sent aspirants here to have them trained by the veterans.

They approached the northern exit of the village. Kemani looked at her from the side. "Are you well prepared? Once we set off, there will be no turning back."

Reena nodded confidently. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Okay. But don't you start complaining later. I did warn you."

"Come on! It's only a Velocidrome", Reena insisted.

"Not only that", her instructor replied and lifted a finger. "It's the strongest monster you ever faced. You must never underestimate your oponents. If you do it anyway, you're dead. Never forget that hunting is a battle to the death."

Reena lowered her gaze. She knew that this was no game. After all, she had lost her own grandfather on a hunt. Again she started to doubt that she had made the right decision when she asked her father to let her come here. She knew that this was mostly because of his attempts to discourage her, but now that things got serious, she became scared.

"Hey, what's with that face?" Kemani asked, snapping her student out of her daydreaming. "I'm with you, so don't worry. Besides, you shouldn't have any problems with it. I just gave you some advice you can use later on. The life of a hunter is not an easy one, but I'm positive that you have what it takes."

"Thanks. It's not often that I hear something like this." In fact she was told the opposite most of the time. Only her childhood friend Liam had supported her when she decided to become a hunter. Her father only let her come here because she annoyed him with her pleading until he eventually gave in.

"You don't have to thank me. After all, I'm your instructor. It's my duty to evaluate you objectively. I only told you how I assess you." Kemani smiled a little when she said that, disarming the stern tone in her voice.

One of the reasons why Reena liked her so much was the fact that Kemani treated her like everyone else, even though her father was the High Administrator of Minegarde and thus her highest superior. She never spoiled Reena, and when there was something to critisize, she critisized it. This normality was something completely new for Reena, since she was a celebrity in Dondruma, always standing out, unable to live a normal life.

After they walked for a while, Kemani spoke up again. "Okay, we're almost out of the forest. Keep your eyes open." Reena focused on the surroundings again. The edge of the forest was just before them, and after that came the plains. There were some large rocks and hills, but aside from that, nothing blockt the view. This was the first time she came here. Before, they had kept to hunting Velociprey in the forest.

Kemani started to lecture her again. "This region is a lot more dangerous than it looks. Although it's almost impossible to be surprised by a monster, the odds for escaping one are just as bad. We came at dawn because most of them are still asleep. But you should still keep an eye on the sky."

"Why the sky?" Reena asked.

"This open territory is perfectly assessable from above. That's why it's the favourite domain of the Rathalos'. They normally hunt around noon. If you see something large moving in the sky, tell me immediately. There are plenty of ways to hide, but once it has noticed us, it's kill or die."

"That doesn't sound very reassuring."

"It's not supposed to. But don't worry. If need be, I can take on a Rathalos. I've been through worse."

Reena nodded at her thankfully. Then she turned her gaze up. The sky was clear in every direction, but that could change any second. "How are we supposed to find that thing?"

"The Velocidrome? We search, of course. It's not difficult at all out here. Besides, I know where they hunt. We should be back in the village in a few hours already."

They started to search and indeed soon found a dead Aptonoth. "What can you see here, Reena?" Kemani asked while putting a hand on the hilt of her sword and looking around thoroughly. It was a test again.

Reena knelt down beside the carcass. "The wounds are small, so it was most likely no Rathalos." She sniffed the air once, then wrinkled her nose. "The decay seems to have started only very recently, so the carcass isn't lying here for very long. They're probably still nearby."

Kemani crossed her arms and looked at her appraisingly. "Was that it already?"

Hastily, Reena looked around again. "Um, there are a lot of traces, so there were most likely more than one of them."

Her instructor sighed. "Of course there were. Velociprey hunt in packs, remember? You can read more in those traces. Look." She pointed at the ground. "Do you see the claw-imprints? We can see that they came from east. The traces are pretty far apart, which means they ran, which is only natural since they were hunting. What's really interesting are the ones that lead away from the carcass. What do you see there?"

Reena examined said traces thoroughly. "They look just the same. I can't make out any difference."

Kemani lifted a finger and smiled. "That's just it. There isn't any. They ran here, as well as away from here. With filled stomachs, to boot. What does this tell you?

Now she understood. "They fled from something."

Kemani nodded and tensed visibly. "Exactly. We can exclude hunters. I would've known if anyone had set out this early, and besides, Prey attack them. That means it has to be another monster, and my money's on a Rathalos. It's just the time that's strange. They normally don't hunt at night."

"Maybe it wanted a midnight snack so it could sleep better."

Kemani smiled mirthlessly and shook her head. "I doubt that. Anyway, we should hurry, lest it get's one after all: Us."

Reena shivered at the thought and started to walk again. After a few steps, however, she stopped again. "One of the traces ends here, just like that."

"Really? Let me see." The hunter stepped closer and examined Reenas discovery. "You're right. Well done. That means that one of the monsters suddenly disappeared. I bet the Rathalos took it. That also explains why it hunts at night."

The way she said it, it seemed as if Reena was supposed to have some kind of enlightenment, but everything stayed dark. "It... does?"

"Yes, it does. I can't see any blood here, so it didn't eat it immediately. The only reason to take it alive is to feed it's breed. That's why it has to do extra hunting."

"So it could still be around?" Reena asked, startled. Then something else came to her mind. "Wait, what if it took the Velocidrome? Then we'd be out here for nothing."

Kemani shook her head. "It didn't. Do you see the large traces here? They're the Dromes. Your prey is still out here. Let's find it." She hesitated for a second. "And be very careful. The Rathalos was here only about an hour ago. It can't see clearly in the twilight, but once the sun rises, we're at a disadvantage."

"How comes?"

"The sun would blind us since we'd have to look up in the sky. Rathalos doesn't so he could see better than we do. And before you ask: It would attack on sight. Rathalos' are quite clever. They know that hunters are dangerous and they're smart enough to know one when they see one. They hunt us."

"Then we should see this through quickly, huh?" Reena asked nervously.

"Right. We're close to one of their breeding grounds. Let's go."

They followed the traces for a while and soon found some kind of cave. It was actually rather a broad hole in a large hill, and very short too. They could see the exit while standing at the entrance. A pack of Velocipreys was sleeping on the ground. There were ten in total, but no Drome was in sight.

"What should we do now?" Reena asked.

"This is a good opportunity for us. Get your sabre. We'll sneak up on them and take them out one by one. The're asleep, so they won't put up any resistance. Then we can calmly look for the Drome."

Kemani stepped ahead and drew her sword. She just approached one of the monsters when Reena heard the clicking sound of claws on rocks behind her. She whirled around and saw the Velocidrome, only a few feet away. It glared at her for a second, then raised its head and let out a clanging barking.

Reena immediately drew her weapon while the Velocipreys rose. From one moment to the next, a golden opportunity had turned into a death trap.

Kemani was surrounded, but she didn't look to worried. "Get the Drome. I'm fine." Then she hurled herself at her adversaries, while Reena faced the pack-leader.

She jumped and slashed at it, but it hopped back and screeched challengingly. Then it attacked her with its claws. She evaded just in time and countered, leaving a deep gash in its flank. The two opponents circled around each other, she with careful steps, it with short hops.

While turning, she could see Kemani who had already dealt some damage. Four of her enemies lay on the ground motionlessly while the others kept some distance to the red-clad hunter. The instructor didn't care about their threatening screeches and rushed into them like a whirlwind. She hacked around with quick slashes, rammed her shield in one monsters face and crushed the windpipe of another one with a devastating kick.

The Drome fought a lot better that its comrades, but it was alone, and Liam had taught Reena quite a lot about fighting with a sword. She decided not to rely on her speed alone and feinted a powerful, vertical cleave at its head, which it evaded without noticing that it was a trap. Instead of leaning herself in her attack and loosing her balance, she instantly tore her blade up again in a diagonal slash that cut deep into the monsters chest. The wound looked as if it had been dealt with a surgery-instrument: A fine red line running across the beasts torso. It started to bleed profusely and jumped back a bit.

Meanwhile, Kemani had only three enemies left. She jumped forward and thrust her blade in the snapping maw of one of them, killing it on the spot. The second prey tried to bite her face from the side, but she withdrew a few inches, so that its jaws closed just before her nose. Then she grabbed them with her left hand, freed her sword from the skull of the first one and chopped of the seconds head. Next she dropped down on her knees, diving under the claws of the last Prey, and whirled around, sweeping it off its feet with a low kick. It went down and couldn't rise again since she stabbed it through the heart.

While her instructor was at it, Reena experienced a surprise. The Velocidrome jumped back even further, than turned around and fled. "Kemani, it's escaping!" They followed it as fast as they could, but the monster was remarkably fast.

They soon reached a slope that led up to a vast plateau. High cliffs towered over them on both sides, keeping them from intercepting it. It's advance grew steadily. "We'll lose it!" Reena called, frustrated. Their prey had almost gotten out of sight when they finally reached the plateau.

"Even if it does, we can still..." Whatever Kemani had wanted to say, she was interrupted by a loud roar that echoed from the rocks around her. A large, red and black wyvern descended from the sky and smashed the Velocidrome into the ground with brute force. Even as far away as they were, the two women could hear the dry cracking sound of shattered bones.

Reena took a step back in utter fear when the Rathalos turned its head and looked at them. She had never before seen a real wyvern, let alone the "lord of the sky" itself. It looked as impressive as it was scary, standing on the destroyed carcass of the Velocidrome, its wings spread out wide. It let out a loud scream, drew its head back and then shot a large fireball at them.

Just before the sphere reached them, Kemani shoved Reena to the side and covered her face with her shield. The impact hurled her several feet away, but to Reenas surprise she scrambled back to her feet immediately and dashed forward. "Reena, get outta here!"

Bewildered, her student looked at her. "How could you..."

"Kaiser-armour. Fire can't hurt me. Now go!" She pushed Reena towards some boulders, where she could find at least some shelter. The Rathalos growled at the experienced hunter threateningly.

Reena hid behind one of the boulders, but watched the combatants from there and readied her bow. Just to be prepared. There was no way she would face this fiend. Even good hunters would think twice before taking on a Rathalos alone.

Meanwhile, Kemani and her opponent faced off on the free space of the plateau. She lifted her weapon and readied herself. The monster attacked immediately. It charged at her with a roar, but she managed to evade in the last possible second. The Rathalos stumbled, but regained its balance and whirled around, flailing at her with its tail. She ducked beneath it and sprinted forward diagonally to close up on it without approaching it head on, something it would punish in an instant. It rushed at her again, but when she evaded once more, it came to a sudden stop and faced her, then jumped back with a wingbeat and hurled a fireball at her. Even though it missed, the shockwave of the attack threw her of her feet.

Reena grew more and more uneasy. She was confident that Kemani _was able_ to defeat this beast, but monsters were unpredictable. One of the first lectures her instructor had given her was that one must never become cocky. _You must always be on your guard, 'cuz while hunting, you're just one mistake away from death._

Kemani came back to her feet when the Rathalos charged at her. She turned around and dashed towards one of the boulders. The distance between the two shrank quickly. When she finally reached it, she jumped against it, pushed herself away and did a somersault that carried her right on the confused monsters back. It ran into the rock at full speed and staggered backwards. However, even though it was dizzy for a moment, the force behind the impact hurled Kemani off it before she could abuse its weakness. She jumped back to her feet and circled her enemy once more.

It turned to face her, spread its wings and zoomed towards her in low-flight. It was impossible to avoid this, since the monster was just too fast, so she dropped to the ground and rolled on her side just before it reached her. Its claws tore the ground to her left and right asunder, missing her only by inches. Its momentum carried it several meters further, giving her an opportunity to rise again and attack.

She ran towards the Monster and hacked at its tail, leaving a deep wound. It whirled around, but she dove to the side and beneath its wing, injuring the soft skin spanning it while she passed it. The Rathalos roared out of anger and pain and rushed forward to get some distance between itself and the hunter. Then it turned again and shot a fireball at her, which she deftly evaded.

Reena was seriously impressed. She had heard of such battles before, among others those of her father, but she had never before seen something like this with her own eyes. It was amazing that a single woman about her own weight was able to not only confront, but actually hurt such an opponent.

The Rathalos started to flap its wings and ascended into the air, letting fireballs rain down on Kemani. She had no other choice than avoiding time after time, for even though her armour was highly resistant to fire, she wore no helmet, and a direct hit on her head would kill her. She sprinted towards the monster and came to a stop beneath it. Rathalos' had a long neck, but it was not quite flexible enough to shoot directly beneath it. As strang as it was, when they did this maneuver, it was safest to be as close as possible.

However, this specimen seemed to be quite seasoned, for it didn't descend slowly, like they normally do, but rather dropped down. Surprised by this, Kemani just barely got out of the way. When she tried to get up, the gale produced by the wings threw her off her feet. She scrambled back on her feet, only to be smashed several meters away when it lashed its head at her like a whip.

She had to watch helplessly as the Rathalos roared, charged at her and suddenly fell flat on its belly when an arrow pierced its knee. It stood up again, but the time Reena had bought her sufficed for Kemani to get back into the fight. She would have liked to thank Reena, but decided against it to keep the monsters attention away from the rookie. Instead she attacked its head, leaving deep cuts and gashes. It roared in agony, which hurt horribly in her ears, but she ran past it regardless and put some distance between them.

Reena had already hidden behind the boulder again. Her heart was still pounding madly inside her chest, as if it tried to break the prison of her ribs. She was glad to have saved her instructors life, and proud to have carried out such an effective attack, but the terrible fear that clenched her thoughts like an icy fist kept her from enjoying these feelings. She carefully squinted over the edge of the rock.

The Rathalos was heaving heavily, letting out a faint cloud of fire with every breath it took. It looked as if it was boiling with rage. Kemani was standing somewhat wobbly, but she regained her composure quite quickly. Once more the monster charged, but the two women noticed that it was limping on its injured leg. Kemani took something flat and round out of her pocket and threw it in front of the Rathalos. When it stepped on it, a loud buzzing and sizzling could be heard, and the Wyvern fell limbly to the ground, wailing in pain as the Shock Trap sent an artificial bolt of lightning through its body and made every muscle in it cramp.

These disc-shaped items were quite rare since they consisted of very hard to get materials, among others the horn of a Kirin, an unusual elder dragon which in fact was a large Unicorn that could let lightning come down from a clear, blue sky. These traps were especially favoured by hunters who preferred to "capture" their prey insted of simply killing it, even though the difference is only very slim.

That's also what Kemani seemed to be planning, for she took out a long item out of her bag that looked like - and in fact was - a large steel-syringe. It contained a poison that had to be injected right into the monsters neck to take effect. It paralyzed the monster, putting it into a sleep like condition and eventually stopped its heart. This poison killed almost painlessly, which made it preferred by hunters who didn't want to torture a monster with unnecessary pain.

Kemani injected the poison into her fallen enemy. Almost immediately its breathing slowed down, then its eyes closed. After that its muscles relaxed. When the Shock Trap lost its effect, the monster was already dead.

The term "capturing" was somewhat incorrect, since the prey died anyway, but since it was an alternative way to finish off a monster, it needed another name. The Guild in fact preferred this technique, since captured monsters have no severe wounds which could have damaged important parts. For example, if the head had been bashed in, the skull or plates covering it would be useless for crafting, which lowered the value of the hunt. The poison, however, kept these parts intact, making salvaging more lucrative.

Now that the battle was over, Kemani stood up straight, as tired as she was reliefed, and sheathed her weapon. Reena came out of her hiding spot as well and approached her. Kemani smiled at her when she had reached her. "Thanks, Reena. You saved my life."

Reena didn't know what to reply, so she said nothing. Kemani grinned. "That was a good shot, by the way. I knew you could do it."

This praise made her blush. "Well, what can I say..."

"You don't have to say anything. You did a great job, I really hand it to you."

"It was just one shot. I hid most of the time."

"But you were there when I needed you." She stood firm. "Aspiring hunter Reena, I hereby deem you worthy of completing your initiation."

Caught off guard, Reena could only stare at her instructor. "W-What? But... I didn't do anything." She looked at the squashed Velocidrome which she had almost forgotten. "I didn't even complete this quest."

Kemani sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't finish off the Drome. Who cares? You helped hunting a _Rathalos_! Without you, we'd both be dead now. Besides, you had almost finished it before it ran away."

"You can say it either way. I didn't finish the battle, so I haven't fulfilled the quest."

"Of course you have. You set off to kill a Velocidrome, and it's dead. You even added a Rathalos as a bonus. This quest was a perfect success, that's out of the question."

"But..."

"Listen, Reena. Hunting is no game, no compilation of rules you have to play along to. We don't do this for us, but for the people. Every monster we kill is one monster less that can hurt people. It doesn't matter how you do it as long as you succeed." She looked firmly into Reenas eyes. "You supported me in battle, and it doesn't matter that it was only one arrow. If you had fired a dozen arrows into its back or if you had stood by my side and it got you, we would have failed. This one arrow was a splendid attack that turned the tables into our favour. I don't know how you could've been of more help."

Reena bashfully looked to the floor. She had always only heard of hunters heroically struggling against a monster, not giving in one inch, let alone hiding or fleeing. She had never imagined to be praised for something like this and was really touched.

Kemani smiled at her. "You have proven that you can act quickly and accordingly even in dire situations. That's a very important feat of a hunter. Besides, you can handle your weapons well, and you're carefull enough to know when it's better to fall back. I've known enough hunters who died because their inflated pride let them stay on the battlefield even though they were hopelessly outmatched. I'm convinced that you're ready to fight your way into the ranks of the Guild.

Reena was speechless and helplessly raised her hands. "Well... I don't know... This is all a bit too much for me right now."

"Alright, enough for now, lest you faint on me. Let's get back to the village."

They made their way back. In the meanwhile the sun had risen. In the morninglight the forest and hills looked almost peaceful. They didn't say a word on the entire walk back, but none were necessary.

Eventually they reached the village. Kemani didn't fail to notice that Reena was completely worn out. "You can go home if you want. I'll handle the paperwork."

"Thanks, Kemani", she said, waved in parting and entered the hut the Guild had provided for her. It was quite small, consisted in fact only of two rooms, but right now it felt like paradise for her. The events of the day took their toll on her, and she fell asleep the moment she went to bed.

xxxxxxxxxx

A few days later there was a surprise for her. She was just on her way to the Guild Hall when she was spoken to from the side. "Hello, Reena."

She started for a second when she recognized the voice, then beamed at the newcomer. "Liam! Good to see you. Where did you come from?" She jogged over to him and briefly embraced him.

When they seperated again, he stood perfectly erect. His expression was as neutral as always, but something seemed off. She had the feeling that he had something unpleasant to tell her. "Your father sends me. I am to tell you that you are to fulfill your initiation in the village of Pokke."

She became suspicious immediately. "Why there? Here's just as fine."

He hesitated for a moment. More than anything else did this signal her that he wasn't eager to tell her what he had to say. Liam was a perfectionist who sometimes seemed as if he had planned out even casual conversations. He doubtlessly knew every word by heart. The fact that he was hesitating regardless meant that things were really bad.

"Your father wants to hire professional hunters to escort and protect you during your initiation."

She had expected a lot, but not something like this. "So he still doesn't trust me, even after all I did."

He lowered his head. "Reena, I understand how you feel. I too am not fond of having to tell you this, but I couldn't change your fathers mind. I'm sorry, but we both have no choice."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I am to travel to Pokke, today, and hire the hunters who are to escort you. Tomorrow you are to follow. Your escort will meet you when you arrive."

She would've rather not heard another word, but he was right. She had no choice. "But... what if they decline? After all, it's strictly prohibitet for initiated hunters to help an aspirant during the initiation. Maybe they don't want to take this risk."

"Your father said the same, so I am to offer them immunity and a small fortune to eliminate any doubts."

She desperately shook her head. "I just can't believe it. Do I have to stay under his wing forever? All I want is to be free. Sure, I love him, but doesn't he see that he's hurting me?"

"He's just worried about you", he said diplomatically.

"He's afraid. He projects his fear on me, lets me suffer of it. That's... that's just not right!" She lowered her gaze and fought the upcoming tears.

"Reena", he said urgently. She looked into his eyes again. "I don't agree with him as well, so I gave the matter some thought. It would never come to my mind to make a decision for you or tell you how to decide, but if you want to be free, I suggest you go to Pokke."

"Why?"

"After the initiation, you'll be a full-fledged member of the Hunters Guild, and even though you'll be an official subject of your father, you'll be independant, for a hunters first priority is their people, and their second are they themselves. As soon as you are a member, you have a juristic foundation do defend yourself with against his demands."

"But that would worsen my relationship with him even more."

He nodded. "That's the downside. It's a choice between bad and worse. You have to decide what you prefer. Please, forgive me for forcing such a decision on you."

Her anger and despair deflated and made way for sadness. "It's not your fault." She shook her head to grasp a clear thought. "I'm grateful that you're so concerned about me. You're right, I'll go to Pokke. I can still decide once I'm there. I just need some time to think about it."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you to alway remember one thing: No matter how you decide, I will always support you. You can count on me, that I swear."

She put her hand on his and squeezed it briefly. "Thanks. Really. This means a lot to me."

He smiled at her for a moment, then drew his hand back. It wasn't like him to show his emotions so openly. He had granted her a small view into his heart, despite of his shy nature, and that was rare indeed.

He cleared his throat. "Please excuse me, but I have to prepare for the trip. We'll meet in Pokke."

"Okay, good luck. And thank you."

He nodded at her once more, then left.

She just stood there, quite bewildered. For two months she had felt free, had believed that she was able to make her own decisions now, but her father had shown her where her place was, and from one moment to the next she was back where she had started. In this very moment, she hated him. She hated him for keeping her imprisoned within a cage that needed no bars, with her own love for him as an unbreakable chain.

She would have to hurry to be ready the next morning. Above else, she would have to bid Kemani farewell. That's what she feared the most.

She sighed deeply, then headed towards the Guild Hall.

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Kemani stood in front of the Bulletin Board when Reena entered the building, most likely deciding for a quest to take her along on. Reenas heartbeat quickened.

Her instructor greeted her with a smile. "Good morning, Reena. Did you sleep well?" It was then that she noticed her forlorn expression. "Why are you looking so glum? Is something the matter?"

Reena couldn't look in her eyes. "I have to leave the village. Tomorrow morning."

"What? But why?"

"My father wants me to go to Pokke to complete my initiation there."

"Why Pokke? That makes no sense at all. Since you're here, you could just as well do it here. That would be far better than moving to another village for the same purpose."

Reena sighed, but lifted her gaze. "I can't tell you why I have to go there, but I must. I don't know what he'd do if I didn't."

Kemani seemed to struggle for the right words for a moment. "Reena, why do you let him do that to you? As your father he's supposed to support you, not command you like a servant. And if you're in any kind of trouble, then you can tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"That's nice of you, but I'm fine. He's just afraid about me ever since my grandfather died. And I'm also not in any trouble." _At least not yet,_ she thought bitterly. "The matter's very complicated and also not important right now." She wanted to say more, but didn't find the right words. An unpleasant silence ensued.

Eventually she continued. "I still have to prepare, so I just wanted to say goodbye." The tears she had held back the entire time now ran over her cheeks. "Farewell, Kemani."

Before her instructor could reply, Reena left the building with quick, uncertain steps.

xxxxxxxxxx

Reena stood at the entrance of the village and waited for the caravan that came from Pokke half an hour ago to finish loading off the cargo it brought. She didn't carry any luggage because she didn't have any. Everything she had needed had been provided by the Guild.

Not for the first time since she and Kemani had parted did she guiltily realize that she left with but a stupid excuse. It was undeniable that she had hurt her, and also that she had proven that her father had complete control over her.

While she was brooding over her fate, the caravan started to load the goods it would transport to Pokke. She knew that it was time to go, so she looked back at Kokoto one last time.

Since it was so early in the morning, the village seemed to be asleep. The only thing moving was the red-clad hunter approaching quickly.

"Reena, wait!" Kemani called and quickened her pace even more. As soon as she had reached her, she continued. "You disappeared so suddenly the other day that I couldn't even say goodbye properly."

Reena looked at the floor in shame. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you like this."

"It's alright", Kemani soothed her. "You were quite on edge. I understand you." She paused for a moment. "I know that you can't or mustn't tell me anything or whatever, so I'm not gonna ask any questions. I just wanted to wish you good luck."

Surprised, Reena lifted her head. She hadn't expected to be forgiven just like that. "Kemani..."

"I believe in you. You'll one day become a great hunter, of that I'm certain. That's why I don't want you to feel remorse and instead give it your all."

Reena smiled. "I'll do my best. I promise."

"Very good. Start right now and never stop again. And don't let there be any doubt about your abilities. You will always be expected to do your best. Nothing less, but also nothing more. So go at it, I know you can do it."

"I will!" she proclaimed solemnly.

"Oh, and before I forget it: I have a gift for you. It's not much, but it might save your life one day." She handed over a long, slender package, enclosed in a cotton cloth. "These will prove to be useful. Come on, open it."

Reena eagerly unwrapped the cloth and revealed several arrows. They looked just like ordinary projectiles on the first glance, but were kept in sets of only five. She realized that it was one set of Sonic- and Flash-arrows each, which were quite valuable and also praised by every archer who had used them so far.

"I found them in one of the Guilds storerooms, where they were collecting dust. I'm sure you'll put them to good use. Just don't confuse them. There's nothing more inconvenient than blinding yourself in an emergency.

"Thanks. I'll use them well."

Kemani looked over to the caravan. "They will depart soon. You had best be off."

Reena lowered her gaze again. "I'm sorry for not being able to stay here."

"Oh, don't mind that. There's nothing you can do about it. Besides, I'm not gone or something. You can visit me anytime, right?"

"Sure! Then we could hunt together."

"It would be a pleasure!" She then fell silent for a second. "Good luck, Reena. Don't ever give up." She took another step forward and embraced her student. "Have faith in yourself, then the world will be full of opportunities."

Reena returned the embrace. "I'll make you proud, I swear. And when I've accomplished something, I'll come back."

"I'm looking forward to it." Then they seperated. "So, enough talk. I don't want you to miss your ride.

Reena nodded once more, then went to one of the carts and jumped on it. It was indeed high time, for the caravan started moving.

"Good luck, Reena! Until we meet again!" Kemani called after her.

"Farewell, and thank you!" Reena answered and waved at her. After several minutes she lost sight of her instructor. She then averted her eyes from Kokoto and looked ahead - towards her future.


	2. Courage of Despair

Howdy, folks. At last, I was able to crank out another oneshot. I know it's taken hell of a lot of time, but there's always the main project to work on, so I had only very few opportunities to work on it.

On another note, once my story is finished, the oneshots will be integrated in the story as chapters, along with some more changes. This is gonna be the prologue.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. However, I do own my plot and my original characters.**

**Courage of despair**

The hunter came to a sliding halt on one of the snow-covered rocks that littered this part of the Nameless Mountains. He was a well-trained man with long, black hair and piercing blue eyes. His body was clad in an armour that was made of the remains of a Tigrex. On his back he wore an impressive longsword, that had been forged more than a hundred years ago, when Minegarde had still been an empire.

He pushed a few bangs of his hair out of his face and looked down into the valley. On its far end he could see the tip of their prey's tail as it disappeared into the maze of cliffs and canyons that reached up to the Dragon Lands, a landscape that was more infested with monsters than all others. He considered this discovery with mixed feelings. On the one hand he was glad that they would soon have caught up with it, but on the other hand he was worried about what would happen then.

The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. Before he turned around, he could hear the huffing of his old friend closing in. "Nathan, will you wait! You wanna lose me?"

Nathan managed a wry smile. Wenh was a small, but sturdy man with a broad, friendly face and short, red hair. He wore a suit made of Blangonga-pelt that effectively protected him from the cold of this region. The heavy bowgun he had built himself was slung to his back, the ammunition for it filling most of his pockets. He was an excellent sprinter, but didn't take very well to a long run.

"Of course not", Nathan replied gleefully. "I thought you were right behind me the whole time. Where have you been?"

"He fell back because he wasted precious breath by complaining about your speed", a third voice revealed.

Borel, a tall, slender man with long, blonde hair that he had tied to a knot appeared behind Wenh. He wore an armour made of white Khezu-hide that was of great use for hunting in the mountains, since from afar it could hardly be made out in the snow. His weapon was a one-handed, double-edged axe that was covered in the rubber-like skin of a Gypceros. This skin was drenched with the same poison these wyverns used in battle, so that Borel was able to poison his enemies with his attacks. On his left arm he wore a round shield that was also covered with it, for it perfectly absorbed the lightning-spheres of a Khezu, keeping the hunter from harm.

"Instead of complaining about my speed, you should thank me for it. After all, I could just see our prey." The others looked at him with surprise. "It's moving far slower than I had anticipated."

Wenh took a disgruntled look around. "This area is far more unhostly than it looks. Until we're down there it will take at least half a day, maybe more."

Nathan shook his head. "We don't have so much time. If we don't manage to catch up to it... there's no telling what would happen then."

Borel stood beside him und looked down the cliff. "So we slide?"

Wenh took his weapon and joined them. "I can't see any caves or large rocks, so it should work."

Nathan took his sword from his back, together with its sheath, and held it out before him, so that it wouldn't get stuck between the rocks. Considering what they were about to do, this could easily be fatal.

The three hunters had spent their entire lifes in these mountains. During that time the had developed methods to venture through this area which others wouldn't even think of. One of those was the Sliding. This harmless term stood for a very dangerous process. They would jump off the cliff, slow down their descent by stemming their feet in the snow and thus slide down the mountainside.

"Look for good positions", Nathan ordered. After all, even thought there were no obvious hindrances, the wall of a cliff everything but even. The smallest of obstacles could already be their end, since falling would be deadly due to the speed they would slide down with.

After they had positioned themselves properly, he clenched his teeth. "Ready? Go!"

Together they jumped off the cliff. As soon as their boots had touched the snow, they began to slide down faster and faster. More than once did Nathan have to readjust his weight to avoid obstacles. "Get ready to jump!" he yelled when they were only about three hundred feet from the ground. They bent their knees and forcefully leaped off the mountain a few seconds later, turned in mid-air and came down on the ground. The impact shook his every bone and his momentum made him roll onward several meters before he finally stopped.

He dizzily got up again, wobbling intensively, so he needed a few attempts to strap his sword on his back again. A few feet away from him he could hear Wenh laugh, like he always did when they survived such an insane deed. Borel seemed to be completely unfazed by it, as usual.

After the world had stopped spinning around him, Nathan shook his head once more, then he turned to his friends. "We just saved a lot of time, but we still have to hurry."

The others nodded, so they kept going. Borel eyed him questioningly. "Seriously, Nathan, how do you think are our chances?"

Nathan was silent for a while._ How are our chances? We're hunting something no hunter has even seen ever before. _"We'll know when the time comes."

Wenh scrunched his face. "That doesn't really soothe me."

"If what the legends say ist true, Akantor is one of the most powerful monsters ever, even stronger than a Lao Shan Lung", Borel said. When no one answered, he quietly continued. "Is that the reason why you asked Erris to stay in the village?"

"I just wanted to make sure she's safe. If something goes wrong, Ezakiel shouldn't loose both parents", Nathan answered.

"But our chances would be much better if she was with us", Wenh said.

"If the legends exaggerate, as legends tend to do, we can take it out without her."

"And if the legends don't exaggerate?" Borel asked.

Nathan sighed. "...Then another sword wouldn't make a difference."

His comrades were honestly shocked at that, but then their fear made way for resolve. Nathan knew that these men were willing to die for their families if they had to, and, in secret, he was almost certain that it would come to this. After all, they were not up against an ordinary monster, but against a beast of lore that had been sealed in the eternal ice ages ago because it could not be defeated. It was more than probable that they wouldn't survive this hunt.

The hours went by when they followed their preys trail into the cliffs. They couldn't possibly miss it. A chill ran down Nathans spine when he saw its footprints, as long as a man was tall.

Borel looked in the direction the traces led to. "Appearently it's headed for the Dragon Lands. In that case we can get in front of it by taking that pass." He pointed to a small cut in the mountain that was too narrow to be called anything else.

Nathan looked at the map he always carried with him and saw that he was right. Even though this region was overrun with countless of canyons, there was only one route Akantor could have taken, simply because it was the only one it'd fit into. It coiled its way throught he mountains while the pass Borel had suggested led almost straight to the end of this route. They would not only be able to catch up to, but actually proceed it. With that they would have enough time to prepare for the battle.

"We should come up with a strategy", Nathan said when they entered the pass. "What do we know about Akantor?"

Wenh turned around, looking at the traces the monster had left behind, while walking backwards. "We know for sure that it's big. I'm sure it's strong as well, after all, it could get out of a mountain all by itself."

"It's also slow", Borel interjected. "We could close in on it far quicker than we anticipated. Most likely the cold gets to it. That means that it's also not very agile. If we manage to surround it, we have an advantage."

Nathan critically looked at the map. "Unfortunately, this will hardly be possible. This ravine is hardly broad enough to take it in. There's a basin we could use, but it lies a bit of a way in the direction Akantor will come from. If we face it there, we might not have the time to prepare."

"But that's still better than fighting it in the canyon. It can't maneouvre there, but neither can we, and in this narrowness it would have all advantages. If we want to have any chance at all to defeat it, we have to fight the battle on our conditions, not its."

"Then I say we should hurry", Wenh said.

Nathan had to smile. "You volunteer to run?"

His friend grinned. "For my life? Sure. If I don't, we'll probably all die."

"Well, then we shouldn't waste any time. Let's go!"

They crossed the pass double quick. The rocky walls narrowed threateningly at times, but after about half an hour they reached the end. The gorge before them branched in two directions, of which Nathan chose the right one after consulting his map.

"How large is this basin anyway?" Wenh asked.

"In any case, it's far larger than anything else in this area. Maybe three hundred feet in diameter or more", Nathan replied. "One way or the other, it's the best we have."

Shortly after that, they reached their destination. The plaza was rather oval than round and luckily quite even. With relief they noticed that the snow was still untouched. Akantor had indeed not yet been here.

"So this is where we'll make a stand", Borel mused. "As long as we have time, we should rest and prepare. It might be a while until it gets here."

Nathan nodded. "All right, but we won't make a fire. I don't want it to notice us first."

They set up an improvised camp. Since they didn't have a fire, they had to make do with hard-frozen rations. While they were waiting, they checked their weapons. Nathan took a very worn-out whetstone out of his bag and sharpened his sword while Wenh took apart his bowgun to clean it. Only Borel left his weapons, where they were, and had his eyes closed to meditate.

"Say...", Wenh began after having completely rebuilt his weapon. "...how do you imagine death?"

"Don't you think this is a bad moment to talk about that?" Nathan asked.

"Painful", Borel said, ignoring him.

Wenh raised his eyebrows. "I actually meant what comes after that. I know it hurts to be eaten."

"What comes after that?" Nathan asked. "What should come after the end?"

"Well, you see, some say there is nothing, only an absolute emptiness. Others think that one is reborn, as someone else. What do you think?"

"I believe what I see", Borel replied. "I wouldn't know what I'd prefer anyway. Feeling nothing at all, including regret, or living again to approach death and ask myself the same question once more."

"Maybe, but wouldn't you wanna know?"

Nathan decidedly shook his head. "Definitely not. I don't think that this knowledge is meant for the living, anyway. Just think about what it could cause. Let's say, there's nothing after death. Wouldn't you lose all hope, since anything you accomplished in life would be in vain? Or the other way around, what if you knew that you'll be reborn? You wouldn't care whether you accomplish something, for if you fail, you could just take your life and try again. You either loose hope and live in fear or loose your motivation don't give a damn about your own life. That's what it leads up to, and that's why I wouldn't want to know even if there was a way to find out."

Wenh thought about that for a while. "If you see it that way, it really seems to be best to just see when the time comes."

"Right, but we should make sure that it comes as late as possible."

After that there was silence. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts. When the sun had almost completely set, Borel stiffened and listened attentively. "Wait, did you hear that?" he asked, closing his eyes to focus on his hearing. Nathan and Wenh followed suit, and indeed they perceived a thudding noise, as if something heavy would drop.

Wenh's face became worried. "These aren't it's footsteps, right?"

"I'm afraid they are", Borel quietly said.

"Fan out!" Nathan ordered. "Borel, go to the right of the entrance. Wenh, you come with me to the left. Your first shot will be our signal. If we're lucky, we can surprise it."

They hurried to their positions with weapons drawn. When they reached them, they could already clearly hear the stomping footsteps of their prey. Nathan risked a peek around the corner and made out a huge, dark shadow closing in slowly, but snow and fog prevented him from seeing more. "Get ready", he called to Borel as loudly as he dared, who nodded in return. He himself gripped his sword more tightly. Beside him Borel loaded some powerful shells in his bowgun. The stomping became louder by the second. Nathan didn't look around again, afraid of giving away their presence.

Then Akantor entered the basin. Nathan's heart almost stopped when he saw it. The broad head alone was at least seven feet high. Two Tusks, each longer than a man, protruded from its lower jaw, the rest of the maw was riddled with razor-sharp teeth. The actual body seemed almost plump, but the great muscles belied this. Large, pitch-black, thorny plates covered its body and the massive tail ended with something that looked very much like a claw.

All in all the giant was a horrifying sight to behold. Nathan felt his heart sink. Now he could understand the surnames it was given: Akantor the calamity. The Black God.

Fortunately, the beast didn't seem to have noticed them, for it trudged along without slowing down or even looking around. Nathan bowed closer to Wenh. "When it reaches the middle of the basin, you shoot. That way it can't take cover anywhere", he whispered. Wenh nodded fearfully.

On the other side of the entrance, Borel had raised his weapons and was ready to attack. Nathan levelled his sword and inhaled deeply to calm himself. Then Wenh pointed his bowgun at the beast and pulled the trigger.

The projectile left the barrel with a loud cracking sound and precisely hit Akantors hind-leg. Immediately the two meele-combantants charged forward while Wenh kept on shooting. Their enemy roared angrily, a sound like growling thunder, and turned around.

When Akantor had just faced the threat, Nathan was in range. He jumped forward and cleaved his blade down with all his strenght. It impacted right on its snout – and bounced off!

Perplexed, he attacked again with just as little success, then he had to leap aside as the powerful jaws of the colossus snapped where he had been moments ago. Meanwhile, the powerful tail struck Borel, who could barely evade. All the while they could hear Wenhs permanent firing.

Nathan jumped up again and circled around the beast. It followed him with its gaze, but when an especially well placed shot hit its tusk, it stared down at Wenh. It opened its maw, inhaled deeply and let out a roar that, for some reason, seemed to distort sonic itself, as if the sounds were sucked into themselves.

Wenh seemed to sense the danger, for he sprinted to the side just in time, for the roar created a shockwave that blowed the snow away and tore up the ground before crashing into the mountain and drilling a several feet-long tunnel into it.

Nathan was crestfallen in the face of such destructive power. If this attack was able to do something like that to solid rock, a human would have no chance at all. He quickly pulled himself together, for such thoughts had no place in battle. He rushed towards the left front-leg of the monster and attacked it repeatedly, but there was no getting through either. Not even a small scratch was left on the heavy shell.

Borel obviously had similar problems. No matter how fiercely he struck, it had no effect. Wenh continued to shoot while running, but he too couldn't hurt it. Nathan started to become desperate. It wasn't as if the shell was merely very tought, but rather it seemed invincible. Their attacks would have left at least traces on even a Lao Shan Lung, but on this beast it looked as if they hadn't engages it at all.

Wenh closed in on Akantor in order to be able to circle around it more easily, Borel jumped on its tail to climb along it and Nathan acted as the bait, hitting its head time and time again to anger it. He seemed to have success, for it growled menacingly and charged at him with what little speed it could muster. Even though it was pretty slow, its enormous size made it look like a mountain attempting to crush the hunter.

Before he could realize the madness of his action, Nathan ran towards it, avoided its snapping jaws and trampling feet and managed to get below its body. Then he came out again at its flank and used the opportunity to slash at its hind-leg, but to his dismay, it had no effect.

In the meantime, Borel had managed to climb on their enemy's back, from where he now started to descend to the head. Akantor simply ignored him and instead stared down at Nathan, while small explosions blossomed on its other side where Wenhs shots hit. The beast growled angrily and stroke out with its tail.

Shocked, Nathan saw that it was coming towards him, which, seeing as it stroke out, meant that it would swing the other side. A chill ran down his spine when he realized what Akantor was about to do. "Wenh! Watch out!"

The mighty, black appendage swept over the snow. Akantor's massive body blocked the hunter's view, but Wenh's short scream could be heard as distinctly as the impact that silenced it. For this single, absolutely gruesome moment Nathan, against all reason, clutched to the desperate hope that it might just have been a trick of the senses.

A hope that was crushed when he saw Wenh being flung through the air like a rag doll, to drop back down to the ground more than twenty meters from his original position. "Wenh, no!" he screamed in horror. Borel, who had been able to see everything clearly from up above Akantor's back, became as pale as a sheet.

Without taking heed of the monster, Nathan rushed to his friend, but stopped a small distance away from him. Wenh's body was twisted unnaturally, as if every bone in it had been shattered. Dark blood seeped from the mangled corpse and stained the innocent snow.

In this instance, Nathans world seemed to fall apart. He had grown up with the small man, pulled through some of the most insane adventures with him – and now he was dead, crushed in a few moments.

A sound as if sonic itself was distorted snapped him back to reality. With a desperate lunge he leapt to safety, then this weird shockwave blasted past him, shattering the ground and lifting Wenh's body into the air, where it was smashed vor good, as if the fist of an enraged titan had hit it.

While Nathan came to a stand, Borel had reached the beasts head and started thrashing it like a madman. Akantor's knees indeed buckled, but only to kick off the ground with frightening strength and stand on its hind legs. Borel lost his balance and dropped down to the rocky ground, where he stayed, dazed. He could look up just in time before a giant paw smashed him into the ground.

Like an agonizing lightning the realization hit Nathan. Another Friend was dead. It was, as if this thought cast aside all others, for there was nothing else in his mind. He stared at the monstrosity before him, as if hoping to be able to kill it with his mere gaze. In this instance he knew, without a doubt, the he – if at all – had only minutes to live.

He didn't care.

He gathered all his sadness, his fear and even his despair, to warp it into fiery, all-consuming wrath. A red mist seemed to cloud his vision while he charged at his mortal enemy, sense and reason were forgotten. When Nathan reached it, he started hacking away with reckless abandon, cleaving down his sword on its snout several times. The thought didn't even occur to him that it was in vain, for in his mind, there was only space for the wish – the order! - to tear this thing apart, with bare hands if he had to.

Akantor wasn't impressed by that. When Nathan made a powerful, horizontal cleave, it snapped forward, catching his sword between it's teeth, wrestled it from his grip with playful ease and hurled it several meters away, before it slammed it's massive head at the hunter with incredible force.

Nathan could loudly and clearly hear most of his ribs break while he flew through the air and eventually crashed down. Strangely enough, he felt no pain. In fact he felt just about nothing. Even his hearing seemed dull, time unnaturally slow, while he fought his way back up to his feet. He distantly wondered why he was able to do it, after all, his ribs were broken. He dizzily staggered to keep his balance. Something warm ran down his chin and when he touched it with his hand and held his fingers in front of his eyes, he saw that it was blood.

_So it's over. This is the end. At least I did what I could._

He looked ahead again. Akantor stood still and inhaled deeply.

_Oh, Erris, how glad I am that I didn't let you join me. Now you can take care of Ezakiel. A great future awaits him, I know that deep down in my heart._

The Black God obened it's jaws. A sound could be heard, as if sonic itself was distorted.

_Erris. Ezakiel. I love..._

xxxxxxxxxx

They had all come together. The entire populace of the village of Pokke stood on a small, remote valley outside the village, gathered around an exactly five meters wide, two and a half meters long and two meters deep.

It contained three bodies, wrapped in expensive cloth to spare the villagers the terrible sight. Those three men were Wenh, Borel and her husband, Nathan.

Administrator Erris stood in front of her beloved's grave, an arm protectively laid around Ezakiel, her ten year-old son. Aside from the tears that ran down her cheeks, her face betrayed no emotions. She wouldn't break down. Not again. When the scouts returned with what was left of her comrades, she had given in to her feelings, but now she had a task. She had to be strong, for the villagers, bur most of all for her son.

Pekeya, the tiny village elder, inconspicously stepped to her side, followed by her long-time companion Treshi. "You don't have to speek if you can't", she quietly said. "We would all understand it."

Erris shook her head. "No. Our people need me as a strong leader." She took a deep breath and looked into each pair of eyes around her. "This is a dark day", she spoke aloud. Her voice was a little shaky, but otherwise firm. "The first day of a dark time, for we have lost more than our protectors. We have lost our fathers, our brothers, our sons..." She gulped. "...and our husbands. From this day forth, nothing will be as it was. Difficult trials await us." Her voice became more determined. "Trials we have to overcome. Our heroes died, wishing us to live. That is why we have to look forward, to our future. I don't want you to forget them, for what they gave us in live is to precious to be lost. It is life itself, the hope for a better tomorrow. But we also must not let us be held back by the ghosts of the past. We have to step forward, with strength and determination, so that the wish of these men may be fulfilled."

She closed her eyes and was silent for a second. "Remember the dead, but fight for the living."

* * *

Well, this is it. Please review and tell me what you think of it. And remember, you can make suggestions for what I should write about next. I hope I'll have the time to actually write it.

Until next time!


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